Stand-up comic Ted Robbins has said he struggled with depression since he collapsed live on stage and almost died.

Robbins, who has recently joined the cast of Coronation Street, suffered a near-fatal cardiac arrest while performing in a Phoenix Nights stage show at the Manchester Arena in February.

He told BBC 5 live's Stephen Nolan: "You do think about your mortality, sometimes waking up at 4.30 in the morning.

"I did have a month of something approaching depression. I've had a glimpse of what depression is and I think it's made me a better person because when people used to say they had depression I, like many people, used to think, 'Just cheer up a bit, buck yourself up'.

"Now I've glimpsed something very close to that."

Robbins, 60, has been confirmed as an addition to Weatherfield, playing the role of a love rat.

He said: "It's not really work, doing a bit of Corrie, it's lovely. I do a couple of scenes and then I leisurely come home again and then I do a bit more and just show off.